Utah, 1998

Tornado and Flash Flood in Utah, July 23, 1998

July 23, 1998 · NWS SLC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A weak tornado was reported about 5 miles southeast of Newcastle. This tornado touched down in an uninhabited area and no damage occurred.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
$500
Events
2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SLC wrote it up.

A weak tornado was reported about 5 miles southeast of Newcastle. This tornado touched down in an uninhabited area and no damage occurred. A flash flood was also reported at Natural Bridges National Monument by rangers.

The radar

The Cedar City radar (KICX), 55 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Iron

When
July 23, 10:15 AM MST to 10:25 AM MST
Where
Iron County, 5 mi SE of Newcastle
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
20 yd
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.620, -113.480

Flash Flood, San Juan

When
July 23, 6:30 PM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
San Juan County, 47 mi W of Blanding
Crop damage
$500
Reported by
PARK/FOREST SERVICE
Coordinates
37.626, -109.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Utah in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Utah, 1998Warnings in Utah, July 1998

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5663822, 5663823.